Wendy Davis hits back at questions about bio

Wendy Davis, the Democratic state senator running for governor of Texas, swung back Monday at swirling questions about her personal life after a newspaper report suggested there were inconsistencies in the biography she’s shared on the stump.

In a statement, Davis sought to explain the discrepancies, while also signaling that her Republican opponent, Greg Abbott, was behind the growing scrutiny.

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Davis launches bid for governor

The Dallas Morning News piece over the weekend noted that Davis had been 21, not 19, by the time she got a divorce — despite statements to the contrary — and highlighted tension with an ex-husband, among other family drama.

“We’re not surprised by Greg Abbott’s campaign attacks on the personal story of my life as a single mother who worked hard to get ahead,” Davis said in her statement. “But they won’t work, because my story is the story of millions of Texas women who know the strength it takes when you’re young, alone and a mother.”

Asked by POLITICO to point to specific attacks from Abbott, the current Texas attorney general, a Davis spokeswoman responded, “We’ve had reporters independently verify these attacks are coming from Greg Abbott’s campaign.”

Abbott spokesman Matt Hirsch charged in a statement on Monday that “Sen. Wendy Davis systematically, intentionally and repeatedly deceived Texans for years about her background, yet she expects voters to indulge her fanciful narrative.”

On Sunday, the author of the piece said, as part of a Twitter thread, that “in researching, I talked to no — zero — Abbott people.”

Davis generated national attention over the summer by mounting a lengthy filibuster that temporarily derailed a restrictive abortion measure. Her personal story, which involves overcoming single parenthood and poverty to graduate from Harvard Law School and go on to the state Senate, has been central to her campaign.

“My language should be tighter,” she told the newspaper in regard to personal details her campaign has highlighted. “I’m learning about using broader, looser language. I need to be more focused on the detail.”

Davis’s Monday statement included a set of bullet points explaining aspects of her life such as when she was married and divorced, and her path to law school.

“I am proud of where I came from and I am proud of what I’ve been able to achieve through hard work and perseverance,” she said in the statement. “And I guarantee you that anyone who tries to say otherwise hasn’t walked a day in my shoes.”

The Texas gubernatorial race is already a high-profile, high-dollar contest; last week, Davis and Abbott each reported raising more than $11 million for the most recent fundraising reporting period.